Mariah Carey Gets Lump Of Coal For Live Christmas Performance

Mariah Carey Gets Lump Of Coal For Live Christmas Performance

What was up with Mariah Carey's performance at Wednesday night's Christmas tree lighting extravaganza?

“I'm watching her on this Christmas show & she can't sing anymore! ... That was painful!" wrote one fan.

Another said: "Yikes! ... Absolutely horrible! That was embarrassing."

On The Talk, Sharon Osbourne said, "She is singing live. This woman is going through a divorce with two kids. I mean, cut her some slack. I thought her vocals were really good."

The problem-plagued performance was apparently due to Carey failing to show up Tuesday night for a pretaping of her vocals.

The New York Daily News headline on Wednesday was: “Mariah Was TreeMendous TV Headache.”

What viewers heard Wednesday night was all live and it was not Carey at her best.

She tweeted an apology for failing to show up for Tuesday’s pre-taping, saying the situation was "Beyond my control. I apologize to all that showed up, you know that I would never want to disappoint you."

There was chaos on the streets around Rockefeller Center due to the Eric Garner protests, but it failed to disrupt the ceremony.

Matt Lauer said on the special, “We have to mention it's been a bit of an emotional and even tumultuous day, here in New York City.”

Savannah Guthrie then said, “It's been a day of protests, in some cases even close to where we're broadcasting tonight.”

The show went off without a hitch including a duet from Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, a spirited performance by Idina Menzel, and of course, the lighting of the 85-foot Christmas tree.